1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to user management for a device.
2. Description of the Background Art
It is known that any user, not a specified user, can receive services through a network from an image forming apparatus such as multi-functional peripheral (MFP) which incorporates a copy function, a print function, a facsimile function, a scan function and the like. For example, in a print network, client users can receive a print service by an MFP connected through the network.
In such a network, a person who accesses the network can easily view data stored therein, and the network is available even for a person who may change the data maliciously. For example, a document to be printed in the device may be peeped or falsified. Then, log-in management is adopted for security in which only previously registered users can use the network.
In some print networks, accounting is performed depending on, for example, an amount to be processed in the operation requested by a user. In this case, in order to limit the number of users and the capacity of work area, a user has to register before using the printer network, and a user ID and a password necessary to use the printer network are set in the registration.
Recently the functions provided in a multi-functional peripheral (MFP) are improved, and the user management is strengthened. For example, it is proposed that not only the management in the number of prints but also restriction of functions allowed to be used are registered for every user, and the users of the MFP is managed based on them (Japanese Patent laid open Publication No. 2003-167716, for example). As to the user management, it is known that an administrator or a user performs registration directly or through the network at their host computers. For example, in a system disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication No. 2002-41435, the user registration is controlled in order to limit the number of users. In a print system disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication No. 2003-271347, a printing is possible through the network. Here, a computer which requests a printing performs user registration to a printer with a Web browser. When the printer accepts the user registration, it issues a job ID, and a print operation is requested with the job ID. After the printing, the printer charges the computer for the printing.
In addition, automatic setting in a device is well known in the art. For example, in a facsimile machine disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication No. 2003-51924, a telephone number of the destination is automatically registered from the telephone number stored in a transmission history or receipt history in memory dial function. In addition, in a facsimile machine disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication No. 2004-15266, information on the destination is automatically registered in a one-touch dial, for example based on a transmission request signal received from an external terminal. Furthermore, in a system for inspecting a security hole disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication No. 2002-32338, an ID is issued to be used when a user at a terminal as an object to be inspected logs sees the result of the inspection.
When the items to be set are limited to only a user ID, a password, an upper limit number of copies and information for limiting the use, it is not troublesome to set them for each user by an administrator. However, recently, as the functions of the MFP is improved, when a user is registered, it is needed to create many setting items such as a box function and its password, an abbreviated key for a registered user, and a group abbreviated key for a group (department) the registered user belongs to. The abbreviated key is an example of a so-called one-touch key to which destination information being registered, so that the destination can be set with one user's operation. When the user presses the abbreviated key displayed on the operation panel on transmission, the destination (an e-mail address or a facsimile number) can be set, and transmission thereto is started. Similarly, when a user presses the group abbreviated key on transmission, the destinations belonging to that group can be set, and transmission thereto is started. A box is a storage region created by partitioning a storage region in a recording medium such as a hard disk. A box name and a box password have to be registered for a user who wants to use a box, and its storage capacity has also to be set. In addition, in the MFP which can perform many functions, the administrator sets the restriction of the functions allowed for the user.
At present the administrator or a user registers the user, creates the abbreviated key, the group abbreviated key and the box for a user, and sets the function restriction information for the user individually. These settings are needed, for example, when the user changes its group but continues to use the MFP, besides when initial settings are registered by a user for the first time. At the time of these settings, for example, the administrator accesses the MFP in administrator mode and opens screens sequentially for address registration, group address registration, box setting and e-mail address registration. Here, it is necessary to refer to the group address and the box setting which have been already registered. Thus, a large amount of labor is needed in the settings, and a heavy burden is imposed on a person (the administrator in this case) who manually input those many settings items.